Hinge construction



APr11 18, 1950 H. s. BRADLEY HINGE CNSTRUCTION Filed Deo. 26, 19475 Il: l: i :liti-'Lilith tir-H 11:51' Q5 www Patented Apr. 18, 1950 UNITED vSTATES PATENT OFFICE 2,504,635 I'INGE CNSTRUCTION Harry' Si. Bradley, West' Haven', Coine Application Deeember 26, 1945, serial Ne. 3i`,1"47`" This invention relates to a hinge coinstruction,` and more particularly to the provision of ahinge which shall be weatherproof, whether the hinge member is in open or closed position.

In many locations, such, for example, as in. windshields and skylights for the cabins of boats, it is necessary to hinge the windows so tha-t they can be opened. This hinged joint between the movable and stationary mem-bers 01- the windshield and skylight has beenI a source of trouble in that it'is apt to leak and permit rai-n 5r-.moisture fromother sources to pass therethrough.

I contemplate by thepresent invention the provision ot a hinge which may be used in locations where it isy desired to make a waterproof hingel joint, it being understood that it is not limited to the particular locations mentionedA above, the hinge being so constructed` that it may befreely operated and easily installed. Inorder toeffect this result, I secure under the leaf portion' of one of the two members of the hinge a thinplate of smooth sheet material, such as sheet metal, this plate extending freely into a' space below the leaf of the cooperating hinge member so' as toI have sliding movement with res ect thereto. joint or pi'ntle of the hinge, so that it completely seals the j'oint and also makes tight, although" slidingr c'o-nta'ct between the leaf of the hinge and the window or window frame so as to make af tight' joint".

One object of the'present invention is to provi'd'e a weatherproof hinge of novel construction.

Another object' of the present invention is to provide a weatherproof hinge wherein a thin flexible plate member is secured to" one of the hinge' members' or t`o the support for such hinge member and extends across the joint of the hinge to make close Contact with the cooperating hinge structure so as tol completely seal the hinge joint.

A still further object of the invention is to provide a weatherproof hinge structure wherein a thin sheet or plate is connected to each of the portions of the hinge and extended across the hinge joint, these plates overlapping and having sliding' contact with each other during relative movement'of the two portions ofthe hinge and making tight contact withy each other whereby eifectually to seal the hinge joint.

Tothesef and other ends-theinvention consists in the novel features and combinations of parts to be hereinafter described and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings:

Fig. 1 is a front elevational view of a window This plate' member extends across the' 2 op windshield of e; beat Cabin. provided" with" hinge embodying my iventin;

nig. zie' an enlarged sectional view on iiriej 'i1- i" of Fig. 1 the Winden? being shown in closed "psV tion;

nig. s is a view similar te Fig. 2, the parte being shown in the open position of the window;

Fig. 4 is a view similar to Fig. 2 showing a modif fied forni of my device; y A f Fig. 5 is a View similar to Fig. 2 showing a futher modification; and

Fig. 6 is a fragmentary perspective View of one' of thesealing plates. y

To illustrate a preferred embodiment ofniy'V invention, I have shown in Fig. l.l of the drawings` a fixed frame or casing IS to which is hingedv a windshield or window II by the hinge structure designated generally by the numeralv I2, so thatthe window may swing outwardly about` the joint of the hinge in a well-known manner.

As shown in Fig. 2, the hinge member itselif may be of conventional form comprising,` lfor example hinge leaves I3 and I 4, these :membersy being provided with registering knuckles I5 to v receive a hinge pin or pintle- IIL The twoI parts;

of the hinge I3l and I4 may besecuredto the fixed and movable membersy I0 and I I,y respectively, by any desired means, such as the screws Il and I8.V

In order to provide a weatherproof joint-bee tween the parts Il) andl H, I have shown ineFigsf Zand-3 ofthe drawingsa` plate member IllmadeV of thin' flexible material-. This member may be conveniently made of sheet metal, so'that it wil-lhave asmooth surface and willslidefreely relaI tively t the other parts of the structure as will4 b`e Hereinafter eriplained. Thismei'nber may; bei* s'ecure'dto the part' I3of thehirige-by hay `t screw Il pass through an' opening therein andi: as shown' at' 2li", is fldedupor1y itselfV at 4one end)` tprovide a spacing member 2| rto space the I'Jl'ateY er sheet member Isa` from the `frame la Likewisea plate member 22, similar in all rspects to the plate I9, is secured to the other leaf I4 of-thehingeethis plate having. a spacingvmember 2-3 disposed between the body portion thereofA and the leaf of the hinge. Itiwill--benett-5dl that theV members'v I94 and- 2e extend' freely from" their sec'udn e'nds beyondV the pintle or joint*V of thei hingf and intbfthfespaeies" prcvidedibythe spacing members 2| and 23. One of these platesthe plate I S-as shown lies adjacent the hinge leaves and slides between the hinge and the other plate,

3 while the plate 22 lies between the plate I9 and the fixed and movable frames It and II.

In order to facilitate free sliding movement of the plates I9 and 22, and particularly the latter, when the window or windshield is opened and closed, smooth plates of metal, or a suitable material, and 26 may be secured to the fixed and movable frames, the plate Z5 lying below the spacing member 2l and, as shown in Fig. 3, providing'a space between it andthe body of the plate I9 for reception of the end of the `plate 22 while the plate 26 lies immediately below the member 22.

Theclosed position of the parts is shown in Fig. 2 where, as will be seen, the sealing plates I9 and 22 both extend across the hinge joint in overlapping relation and make tight contact with each other and with the adjacent parts of the hinge to seal the joint. These sealing plates are flexible and may be made of very thin material, so that they will ilex readily when the window is moved to open position as shown in Fig. 3 and move outwardly in a separating direction, their ends, however, remaining within the spaces o r channels provided for these ends so that they will slide back in place when the window is closed. I have found that this makes a very effective seal and adds but little to the cost of the hinge and does not interfere with its free operation.

In Fig. 4 of the drawings I have shown a slightly modified form of structure which, in all respects, is like that described in connection with Figs. 1 to 3 of the drawings, except that a pair of additional plates 21 and 28 are secured below the leaves I3 and I4 of the hinge. These plates may be quite thin and are preferably of thin sheet metal, so that the sealing plate I9 may slide freely thereon. These plates 2l and '28 may or may not be necessary, depending upon whether or not the lower surfaces of the leaves I3 and I4 are sufllciently smooth to permit the proper operation of the parts. In some instances, the surfaces of these leaves as manufactured are not smooth, and in such case the thin plates 21 and 28 may be inserted to provide for free sliding movement of the outer plate I9.

In Fig. 5 of the drawings I have shown a further modification in which a single sealing plate I9a is provided, which plate is secured to the leaf I3. The other leaf I4 of the hinge be spaced from the plate 2S by a spacing member til so as to provide for the reception of the free end of the sealing plate lila between the leaf il! and the plate 26. If desired, plates 21 and 28 may also be used between the plate I9 and the leaves I3 and I d, and the spa-cine' member 3i! may be conveniently made by folding upon itself one end of the member 28. It will be seen that the form of my invention shown in Fig. 5 is similar to that shown in Fig. 4 except that only one sealing plate is employed instead of the two employed in the construction shown in the latter ligure.

As shown in the drawings my improvements are applied to a hinge, the leaves of which stand substantially in the same plane when the closure member is in closed position andy which. stand at 90 to each other when the closure member is in full open position.

l While I have shown and described some preferred embodiments of my invention, it willbe understood that it is not to be limited to all of "the other hinge leaf and the member to which it `is secured, said free edge being slidably and snugly received in said space.

2. A hinge comprising leaves adapted to be secured to relatively fixed and movable members, a pivot connecting said leaves, and a pair of exible sealing strips each being secured to one of said leaves and having a fred?"` edge extending across the pivot and slidably received between the other leaf and the member to which it is secured, said free edges overlapping each other.

3. A hinge comprising leaves adapted to be secured to relatively iixed and movable members, a pivot connecting said leaves, and a pair of flexible sealing strips each being secured to one of said leaves and having a free edge extending across the pivot and slidably received between the other leaf and the member to which it is secured, said free edges overlapping each other, and each of said strips having an end portion folded upon itself and said portion lying opposite the free edge of the other strip.

4. A hinge comprising leaves adapted to be` secured to relatively fixed and movable members, a pivot connecting said leaves, a pair of flexible sealing strips each being secured to one of said leaves and having a free edge extending across the pivot and slidably received between the other leaf and the member to which it is secured, said free edges overlapping each other, and a plate secured to each of the fixed and movable members, and said strips lying between said leave and said plates.

5. A hinge comprising leaves adapted to be secured to relatively fixed and movable members, a pivot connecting said leaves, a flexible sealing strip secured to one of said leaves and having a free edge extending across the pivot and slidably received between the other leaf and the member to which the latter is secured, a plate secured to each of the members and disposed on the side of said strip opposite the leaves, and a spacing member spacing one of said plates from the leaves to provide a space within which said free edge may extend.

HARRY S. BRADLEY.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the le of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 309,413 Smith et al. Dec. 16, 1884 1,685,002 Matranga Sept. 18, 1928 1,732,964 Cammer Oct. 22, 192.9

FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 431,937 Germany July 24, 1926 

